Vikings Rumor Gets Fired Up to Trade for a New Quarterback
Making a move for Kirk Cousins? The option has been floated a time or two. What about a Vikings rumor involving Mac Jones?
Recently, the fine folks over at The Athletic considered some trade scenarios ahead of the NFL deadline (November 4th). Scroll down to get into the meat of the article and there’s a mention of the Vikings. More specifically, Jeff Howe offers the suggestion that Minnesota forfeits some picks for the former 1st-Round selection.
A Vikings Rumor about Trading for Mac Jones
No question, the Vikings’ quarterback spot is ailing.
Listen to the Carson Wentz press conference after the game. What’s the key word? Pain. The backup quarterback got walloped out there. Goodness, sitting on the couch watching Wentz get tackled was painful. And that’s without ever taking a hit throughout the whole night. The backup passer went in at less than full health and was allowed to get hit far too often.
If one steps away by concluding that Minnesota needs to enhance it’s quarterback spot, then there can be little debate. But Mac Jones?
For starters, consider the proposed trade details. Minnesota would bring Jones and a 5th aboard. Doing so means losing a 3rd in 2026 alongside a 3rd in 2027. Notably, there’s a caveat since the ’27 3rd “becomes a second-rounder if Jones makes 17 total starts with the Vikings between 2025 and 2026.”
Right off the top, the basic reality: there’s zero chance the trade materializes. That’s a huge overpay for what could end up being a lost season. Even worse, Jones still has much to prove even if he has had strong moments in 2025.
Go ahead and consider how Howe justifies the trade: “Jones has been a very good backup this season, and he’s shown enough to jump to the top of the line among QB reclamation projects. But since Jones is playing well in place of Brock Purdy, who is becoming more of an injury risk, the Niners won’t give him away when they’ve got him signed through 2027.”
And further: “The Vikings don’t need to give up on 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, but they also don’t want to sacrifice a roster that’s able to make a playoff push. Jones is having even more success than Sam Darnold had in San Francisco before his stock took off with the Vikings. Jones might be able to replicate that success.”
The Athletic offers a counterbalance to the trade, found in the built-in response from Mike Jones. Consider the disagreement:
The Purdy injury situation is far too precarious for the 49ers to part with Jones. Purdy is telling people he has no idea when his turf toe injury will be fully healed, and so Kyle Shanahan will not want to roll the dice and let John Lynch trade Jones away and risk blowing their chance to contend for a playoff berth even with Purdy injured. Shanahan has been a Jones fan for a while, and that’s why they signed him to a two-year deal. He would have to feel rock-solid confident that Purdy was fully healed and receive more handsome compensation to part with Jones.
Sensibly enough, the response digs into why San Francisco would be hesitant to part with Mac Jones. Most NFL teams aren’t keen to part with a quarterback capable of strong play — even a backup one — so the 49ers not being willing to ship a passer away makes a pile of sense.
From the Vikings’ perspective, the decision to graft Mac Jones onto the roster makes essentially zero sense. Jones has operated under a similar system as Kevin O’Connell’s but it’s not the same. Mastering the vocabulary alone would be a major learning curve. What about building chemistry with the receivers, making pre-snap adjustments, having the o-line familiar with his cadence, and so many other factors?
In 2023, the Vikings brought a new passer to town before entrusting him to start. But Joshua Dobbs is an unusual example as someone who is unusually intelligent. And even The Passtronaut needed the head coach to decode play calls in real time to him. Jones could be a smart guy, but it’s hard to take the idea of trading for him too seriously.
And for a pair of 3rd-Round selections with one capable of getting up to a 2nd? Woof. Nowhere close.
After the game, Coach O’Connell explained in his press conference that McCarthy is going to be the starter once health allows. If there does end up being a need for more depth, then look for someone with preexisting knowledge of the system.
So, let the Cousins chatter continue within the Vikings rumors. At least that makes some sense.
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